Park Board Seeking Public Input on Proposed Park and Trail Plan for Upper River

On Wednesday, September 21, 2011, Minneapolis Park and Recreation Board Commissioners accepted the draft RiverFIRST: A Park Design Proposal and Implementation Framework for the Minneapolis Upper Riverfront for new parks along the North and Northeast sides of the Upper Riverfront.

The proposal recommends that the Park Board partner with the City of Minneapolis and other government and non-profit partners to develop five new green and public spaces within five years.

Riverfront Trail System with Farview Park phase one greenways – which integrate with existing city and regional parks and trails to create a cohesive, user-friendly network of commuter and recreational connections, most notably across the Interstate 94 trench cutting off Northsiders and the West Metro from the Mississippi.

BioHaven® Islands – offering water quality rehabilitation while providing scenic views and habitat for native plants and animals, including migrating birds.

Scherer Park – an existing Minneapolis Parks property along the Northeast side of the riverfront, and located in a burgeoning neighborhood and adjacent to compatible properties, including existing parks and bridges.

Northside Wetlands Park – which transforms significant acreage from the existing Port of Minneapolis from asphalt to amenity, without adding industry, and becomes a destination point for Farview Park and other envisioned Northside greenways.

Downtown Gateway – the restoration of a historic park at the front door of downtown.
 
The Park Board has actively sought public input during each phase of plan development and is now asking the public to share its thoughts about the four proposed new parks during a formal public comment period, September 22 – November 6, 2011.

In addition to wide distribution of a news release announcing the public comment period to local media outlets, neighborhood and community associations and via the MR|DI’s online blog and e-newsletter, the Park Board is advertising the MR|DI public comment period in four Minneapolis newspapers: Finance & Commerce (legal notices), North News, Camden News, and the Northeaster (flyer inserts).

The public is encouraged to view the proposal and/or the executive summary and submit comments at Park Board Headquarters and any Minneapolis Parks recreation center or online at Minneapolis Riverfront Development Initiative.com.